18 named to PCF Class of 2019

A total of 18 professionals have been chosen to participate in the 2019 Class of the leadership program called Pacific Century Fellows.

The new class consists of Northern Marianas College Cooperative Research Extension & Educational Services extension aide Lorenza Aldan; Precinct 4 Rep. Sheila Babauta; Office of the Governor press secretary Kevin Bautista; NMC director of enrollment services Manny Castro; CNMI Public School System director of finance Christopher Ching; Koblerville Elementary School teacher Bonny Cruz; Kanoa Resort guest relations manager Ricardo Cruz Jr.; Docomo Pacific CNMI marketing coordinator Clinton Dela Cruz; NMC early intervention counselor Kaelani Demapan; Xerox Corp. executive Nola Hix; Tinian Mayor’s Office coordinating officer Alexis Hofschneider; Shirley’s Coffee Shop operations manager Noelle Macario; Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.’s Non-Communicable Disease Bureau acting administrator Amber-Lynn Mendiola; KES teacher Le’ah Murphy; CHCC dialysis unit social worker Chrislaine Pangelinan; Berline and Associates LLC lawyer Benjamin Petersburg; Commonwealth Casino Commission financial auditor Michael Sheu; and Kagman High School principal Leila Staffler.

According to Bautista, he looks forward to finding solutions to the issues facing the CNMI.

“As press secretary…I’m part of a team with a fundamental duty every day to address the Commonwealth’s toughest challenges,” he said. “The lessons I look to gain from PCF will complement my job well because we’re called to be proactive in our solutions and to bring people together toward a common goal.

“I believe the goal of bettering the lives of every single person who calls these islands home is the guiding principle in the way we develop the Commonwealth for the future.,” he added.

In a previous interview, CNMI Scholarship Office workforce program coordinator and Class of 2017 Fellow Monique Sablan told Saipan Tribune that those selected by the program would undergo at least two retreats to Guam and Hawaii for three days and a week respectively. She further noted that the retreats educate fellows on several topics relative to the CNMI and the Western Pacific in general such as workforce development, education, government, healthcare, and more.

“Some of the most important things that I’ve learned is to see first-hand how these agencies and corporations within the public and private sector…[operate],” she said.